The Falkirk FC Thread

[HonestAl]

Stuart Kennedy.

I was at a Falkirk v Kilmarnock reserve game one evening late into the season. 
Alex Ferguson was the player/coach to Willie Cunningham’s manager, and was one of a couple of first team squad playing (probably after missing a couple of games through injury).

Falkirk had a couple of Trialists playing that night, one a right-back. He was outstanding, pacey, hard tackling and set up Fergie for one of our goals in a 3-1 victory.
Ferguson literally escorted Kennedy (for it was he) off the pitch at full time, and we later learned he signed a contract that night.

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by HonestAl

[AGPar]

1 hour ago, ShaggerG said:

 I don't buy into the 'he doesn't have the legs anymore' rhetoric, he didn't have them when arrived,

And the sight of Airdrie tearing unopposed and at will through our midfield time and time and time again was enough to tell me that that had become a significant problem unfortunately. As abysmal as our central defensive partnership is, the protection in front of them is woeful. He may still have a part to play but it's certainly not as a week-in, week-out starter. Our midfield is devoid of physicality, legs, presence, energy. It has been for years. Two new starters are required there. 

If there's one player, within reason, I would like us to sign - and we won't, as he'll have more attractive offers higher up - it would be Scott Martin, who is out-of-contract at Hamilton. From what I watched in both legs of the play-off final, not afraid of a tackle and also pretty decent on the ball. Would be a massive upgrade on our current options.

[Reggie Perrin]

11 minutes ago, AGPar said:

And the sight of Airdrie tearing unopposed and at will through our midfield time and time and time again was enough to tell me that that had become a significant problem unfortunately. As abysmal as our central defensive partnership is, the protection in front of them is woeful. He may still have a part to play but it's certainly not as a week-in, week-out starter. Our midfield is devoid of physicality, legs, presence, energy. It has been for years. Two new starters are required there. 

If there's one player, within reason, I would like us to sign - and we won't, as he'll have more attractive offers higher up - it would be Scott Martin, who is out-of-contract at Hamilton. From what I watched in both legs of the play-off final, not afraid of a tackle and also pretty decent on the ball. Would be a massive upgrade on our current options.

Crazy to expect McGinn to cover the defence that night.

Irrespective of how much he has left in his legs he is a playmaker not a Tom Taiwo or Davie Nichols type destroyer.

[HopeStreetWalker]

32 minutes ago, HonestAl said:

Stuart Kennedy.

I was at a Falkirk v Kilmarnock reserve game one evening late into the season. 
Alex Ferguson was the player/coach to Willie Cunningham’s manager, and was one of a couple of first team squad playing (probably after missing a couple of games through injury).

Falkirk had a couple of Trialists playing that night, one a right-back. He was outstanding, pacey, hard tackling and set up Fergie for one of our goals in a 3-1 victory.
Ferguson literally escorted Kennedy (for it was he) off the pitch at full time, and we later learned he signed a contract that night.

 

The one in a generation chance for Falkirk was there.

Move Cunningham upstairs and install Ferguson as manager.

FFS When Falkirk f**k up they f**k it up big time.

[gav-ffc]

55 minutes ago, AGPar said:

And the sight of Airdrie tearing unopposed and at will through our midfield time and time and time again was enough to tell me that that had become a significant problem unfortunately. As abysmal as our central defensive partnership is, the protection in front of them is woeful. He may still have a part to play but it's certainly not as a week-in, week-out starter. Our midfield is devoid of physicality, legs, presence, energy. It has been for years. Two new starters are required there. 

If there's one player, within reason, I would like us to sign - and we won't, as he'll have more attractive offers higher up - it would be Scott Martin, who is out-of-contract at Hamilton. From what I watched in both legs of the play-off final, not afraid of a tackle and also pretty decent on the ball. Would be a massive upgrade on our current options.

Scott Martin be a great signing but imagine a championship team take him.

[grumpyoldman]

2 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

I always felt it was Pat Nevin that was picked over Crunchie. They are similar ages and Cooper was a few years older.

 Nevin was Craig Browns blue eyed boy

[grumpyoldman]

1 hour ago, HonestAl said:

Stuart Kennedy.

I was at a Falkirk v Kilmarnock reserve game one evening late into the season. 
Alex Ferguson was the player/coach to Willie Cunningham’s manager, and was one of a couple of first team squad playing (probably after missing a couple of games through injury).

Falkirk had a couple of Trialists playing that night, one a right-back. He was outstanding, pacey, hard tackling and set up Fergie for one of our goals in a 3-1 victory.
Ferguson literally escorted Kennedy (for it was he) off the pitch at full time, and we later learned he signed a contract that night.

 

I think the other player that night may have been Morris Fraser, who was described in the Falkirk Herald as playing the position of pivot.

Morris was my uncle 

[Anthony Fitzgerald]

I remember Stuart Kennedy in the woody. My friend had a stinking hangover and wanted a lager tops. “We don’t do cocktails here” he replied. 

[HonestAl]

26 minutes ago, grumpyoldman said:

I think the other player that night may have been Morris Fraser, who was described in the Falkirk Herald as playing the position of pivot.

Morris was my uncle 

The other Trialist that I recalled was a left winger that we also signed.  May have been called Nesbitt (or something similar). He volleyed home from about 12 yds, a deep cross into the box from the right wing. Probably the pinnacle of his career.

Morris Fraser may well have played though.

[grumpyoldman]

1 hour ago, HonestAl said:

The other Trialist that I recalled was a left winger that we also signed.  May have been called Nesbitt (or something similar). He volleyed home from about 12 yds, a deep cross into the box from the right wing. Probably the pinnacle of his career.

Morris Fraser may well have played though.

Are you thinking of Andy Noblett

[60`s bairn]

5 hours ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

You have to play with and against these old pro's to understand it's not just their skill and game craft but the level above you their minds work

Played 5's with Peter Godfrey, Stuart Munro, Stuart Burgess and John Blackley in my playing days it was exactly as you said.

You missed out the "White Pele"!

[Springfield]

Is McGlynn away for a month or secretly signing players?

[Gringo]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

Is McGlynn away for a month or secretly signing players?

This is just his second week, I believe.

[HopeStreetWalker]

9 hours ago, 60`s bairn said:

You missed out the "White Pele"!

Never played 5's with Crawford Baptie in fact I heard a story that Pele was referred to as the 'Black Baptie' for a while in Falkirk dressing room.

Loved that one!

[HopeStreetWalker]

15 hours ago, Grangemouth Bairn said:

I always felt it was Pat Nevin that was picked over Crunchie. They are similar ages and Cooper was a few years older.

And of course the Nevin and Scotland managers Brown Clyde connection.

 

 

[Shodwall cat]

David cooper was a left winger and his last Scotland cap was in 1990.  Crunchie was only 28 then and in his prime for the next few years. Nevin was the man that kept him out although to me both were very different players. Noone could match Nevin for sheer technical ability but he was a typical.winger who could blow hot or cold. Crunchie was an 8/10 every week and would win the ball in his own half as much as in the opposition's .  Tremendous engine on him too.  Far better alrounder in my opinion. 

On mcginn as said he's not a Scott Mackenzie type player he needs one of them in beside him to do the dirty work so he's not having to run his arse off every game. Still more than good enough if that's sorted.

[HopeStreetWalker]

15 hours ago, Duncan Freemason said:

Totally agree. I got the same treatment from a 40 year old Bobby Lennox. If that was him at 40, God only knows what he was like at 26. As you say, different sport, and different planet.

CORRECTION. He was 44 when he sent me out for chips about a dozen times in one game. Now I feel even worse.

Naw! it's a great memory of a great player.

Was at a football charity evening in Dundee in the early 80's and a guy Johnson a retired Dundee fullback was a guest.

He was asked what was the most dispiriting moment he had on the pitch during a game.

Told the story of a game at Dens Park against Celtic and he and big Hughes were having a ding dong battle and he reckoned he had the measure of him. No sooner did he think that there was a blur on the sideline passing him - Lennox was warming up.

Lennox came on for Hughes and he set up the winning goals. 'He walked off a physical wreck as after 60 minutes battling Hughes he got run ragged by Lennox for the last 30'

Love these football evenings with old pro's you get such an insight on the game.

But good on you playing on the same pitch as a Lisbon Lion.

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

Naw! it's a great memory of a great player.

Was at a football charity evening in Dundee in the early 80's and a guy Johnson a retired Dundee fullback was a guest.

He was asked what was the most dispiriting moment he had on the pitch during a game.

Told the story of a game at Dens Park against Celtic and he and big Hughes were having a ding dong battle and he reckoned he had the measure of him. No sooner did he think that there was a blur on the sideline passing him - Lennox was warming up.

Lennox came on for Hughes and he set up the winning goals. 'He walked off a physical wreck as after 60 minutes battling Hughes he got run ragged by Lennox for the last 30'

Love these football evenings with old pro's you get such an insight on the game.

But good on you playing on the same pitch as a Lisbon Lion.

Yep, I was proud of that. The one glorious moment I had was nutmegging Lennox after about 10 mins. I remember him laughing as he walked past me saying “aye, that’s was really good”. He then nutmegged me back…..three times in the space of 15 minutes.

[Guest]

Another story I loved came from a guy called Gerry Gow who played for Man City in 1980. He had been told to “go out and batter Dalglish” in their game v Liverpool.

Allison tore him a new one at half time for failing to get Dalglish. Gerry said that people have no idea just how good top class players really are. He said not only could I not get the ball off him, I couldn’t get near enough to kick him. He said twice Dalglish backed into him, and he said Dalglish’s arse was like getting kicked by a mule.

Dalglish would throw out every bit of body language to say he was going to spin off you to the right, but he went left. You just couldn’t read him at all, and you would think “ok, ignore the signals, because he is going the other way, but he didn’t, he would just go right as if he sensed you were setting yourself up to go left”. He said without doubt, the greatest player he ever played against.

[Skyline Drifter]

39 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

Another story I loved came from a guy called Gerry Gow who played for Man City in 1980. He had been told to “go out and batter Dalglish” in their game v Liverpool.

Allison tore him a new one at half time for failing to get Dalglish. Gerry said that people have no idea just how good top class players really are. He said not only could I not get the ball off him, I couldn’t get near enough to kick him. He said twice Dalglish backed into him, and he said Dalglish’s arse was like getting kicked by a mule.

Dalglish would throw out every bit of body language to say he was going to spin off you to the right, but he went left. You just couldn’t read him at all, and you would think “ok, ignore the signals, because he is going the other way, but he didn’t, he would just go right as if he sensed you were setting yourself up to go left”. He said without doubt, the greatest player he ever played against.

I vaguely remember Gerry Gow, though with Bristol City, not Manchester City. Until you said it I'd forgotten he had a short spell at Man City.

Dalglish had an "arse" a very long time before John McGinn had an "arse". It was like a 5th limb!